
As a result of Gideon’s faith and obedience the LORD gave the victory He had promised in chapter 6. By the end of chapter 7 the Midianites are defeated and the survivors on the run. Gideon and his 300 men are in hot pursuit. But while in chapter 7 we see God honouring leadership from Gideon unfortunately in chapter 8 we see the sad result of what happens when a leader loses perspective.
The Scottish Presbyterian pastor Andrew Bonar once said, “Let us be as watchful after the victory as before the battle.” These are wise words that Gideon could have done with hearing. Instead he shows us how it possible to win the battle but lose the victory.
Main Points:
- Declining Leadership
- Disastrous Innovation
- Damaged Legacy
Application Questions & Response:
- Are there aspects of your life and work you think you should get more recognition and honour for? How will the gospel of grace help you deal well with your successes?
- Can you think of a time where you felt badly let down by the un-Christ like behaviour of a church leader? How do we keep our perspective at such times? (Hebrews 12:2-3)
- Write down the positive qualities we see lived out in Jesus’ ministry. Pray now for your church leaders that they would look to Jesus and exemplify those same qualities.